Mate choice, reproductive success and fecundity of typical and melanic morphs of C. septempunctata were studied. Melanic as well as typical individuals preferred to mate with melanic males and females. Mate choice was mainly determined by females and to a lesser degree by males. Mating duration, oviposition period, and lifetime fecundity were highest (51.20 ± 2.82 min, 47.00 ± 2.79 days and 705.40 ± 69.85 eggs) when a melanic female mated with a melanic male and lowest (38.94 ± 1.68 min, 26.10 ± 2.54 days, 395.9 ± 36.25 eggs) when a typical female mated with a typical male. Longevity of both sexes of melanics was higher than of typicals. The fecundity function of both morphs was triangular but the daily oviposition was irregular. In melanic and typical females the peak oviposition (66.40 eggs/day and 48.30 eggs/day) occurred on the 23^rd and 14^th day of the oviposition period, respectively. Oviposition peaked earlier in typical females, but peak oviposition was higher and the oviposition period longer in melanic females. The higher reproductive success of melanics may favour this morph over typicals.

To establish the importance of different cues for feeding site location in aphids, two birch-feeding species were given access to leaves that were either orientated normally or inverted. Euceraphis betulae used gravity and/or light as the main cue, and settled on the surface that was orientated down. Monaphis antennata additionally used leaf surface features to locate its feeding site, and approximately half of the individuals settled on the correct feeding surface whatever its orientation. This is one of the few examples of positive stimuli being used by aphids during feeding site location.

The aphids Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (greenbug) and Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko) (Russian wheat aphid, RWA) were collected from several localities in Argentina and Southern Chile. Clones were established from aphids collected at each location. The host preferences were studied in free choice tests. Biotypes were characterized on the basis of aphid antibiosis and host plant tolerance. The production of sexuals was assessed under natural conditions, from March to November in 1997-2001, at La Plata (34°55' S, 57°57' W). The greenbug distribution ranged from 24°40' to 43°28' S, and was bounded between isothermals 18-20°C and 8-10°C, and isohyets 400-600 mm and greater than 1200 mm. The aphids at all localities were collected from a wide range of cultivated and wild hosts. The biotypes in ten out of thirty-four populations were identified. One population was obligatorily parthenogenetic, the remainder cyclically parthenogenetic. No correlation was found between the region they came from and the period required for the induction of sexuals. RWA was found between 26°50' and 43°28' S, bounded by the isothermals 20-22°C and 8-10°C, and isohyets 400-600 mm and 2000 mm. In Chile, this aphid was only found in Osorno County, which lies on isothermal 8-10°C and is bounded by the isohyets 1000 mm and 2000 mm. Only a few RWA genotypes (clones) produced sexuals irrespective of the host they were collected from, period of the year, region, current host, or the day length and average temperature of the rearing conditions. For the first time, RWA was found infesting cultivated as well as wild oats in South America. At low latitudes, populations of both aphid species were found only infesting wild Sorghum halepensis (L).

Habitats of pre-hibernating gregarious larvae of the endangered Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) were studied in field in Western Bohemia, Czech Republic. The species inhabits moist seminatural meadows managed by light grazing and haymaking; the only local host plant is Succisa pratensis. The redundancy analyses of the vegetation composition (around 166 nest-bearing and 381 unoccupied host plants) showed that nest presence was positively associated with short cushion-forming grasses (esp. Nardus stricta). It was negatively associated with competitively superior tall grasses (e.g., Deschampsia caespitosa) and tall herbs. Comparison of Ellenberg's indicator values of vegetation in occupied vs. unoccupied plots revealed that the nests were more often found in drier, nitrogen-poorer and more acidic conditions than unoccupied plants. Multiple regressions of nest presence against architecture of the host plants (170 occupied, 1280 unoccupied) revealed that the nests were associated with densely clumped host plants, low to medium height of sward and mechanical disturbance. The patterns agree with our knowledge of the biology of the larvae: short sward (related to low nitrogen, humidity, and low pH) facilitates larval basking; high host density reduces the likelihood of starvation. Sod disturbance facilitates host plant germination. The conditions favourable for the nests were also favourable for the host plant, but the plants grew in broader range of conditions than that occupied by the nests. The abandoning of a site results into a situation when the conditions first become intolerable for the butterfly, and ultimately for the plant. Since grazing and mowing have a different impact on vegetation composition and architecture, we propose that the studied populations have persisted in a semi-dynamic state in the two modes of management. Conservation management should mimic the dynamics of traditional land use on the smaller scales of extant colonies.

Centra Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune (CSCF/SZKF), Schweizerische Entomologische Gesselschaft (SES/SEG), Neuchatel, 2008, 86 pp., 95 drawings, 24 photographs, 27 distribution maps. ISBN 978-2-88414-035-5, ISSN 1422-6367. Price CHF 30.00.

This article studies coccinellid dispersal in heterogeneous environments using some hypotheses on dispersal rates that correspond to empirical observations. It is assumed that emigration rates increase with decreasing patch payoff that is measured either as the number of aphids per a lady beetle, or as the number of aphids only. Three scenarios for immigration are considered: individuals choose patches unconditionally, immigration is proportional to patch quality, and immigration is proportional to patch payoff. Coccinellid spatial distributions corresponding to these assumptions are given by a power law. Using some data from the literature on distribution of Coccinella septempunctata it is shown that the model with emigration proportional to the ratio of the number of conspecifics to aphid density and unconditional immigration rates provides the best fit when compared with the other models. This model predicts undermatching where better patches get lower consumer density when compared with the ideal free distribution.

While the key role of termites in the decomposition of litter in the tropics has been acknowledged for a long time, much less information exists on their importance in the recycling of dung of primary consumers, especially herbivores. A review of published studies shows that a diverse group of termites (at least 126 species) has been reported to feed on a wide range of mammalian dung (18 species). Predominantly, wood-feeding and polyphagous wood-litter feeding species were found to feed also frequently on dung. Moreover, we found that termites can quickly remove large amounts of mammalian dung, especially in the dry season, when on average about 1/3 of the dung deposited in a given habitat is removed by termites within one month (with the highest rates observed in savannas). No distinctive preference for mammalian dung over other organic food sources was observed for fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae), whereas the majority of the non-fungus growing taxa studied prefer dung over other food. As termites bring large quantities of dung below the soil surface, disturb and enrich soils with nutrients, dung feeding by termites appears to be a previously underestimated process important in the functioning of tropical ecosystems.

The zoophytophagous mirid bug Macrolophus caliginosus is an important biocontrol agent of whiteflies in the Mediterranean region. Periods of low productivity in commercial breeding units and unsuccessful establishment in greenhouses prompted this study of mating behaviour. Here we describe copulation behaviour, the diel mating periodicity and post-copulatory refractory period. A natural plant substrate needs to be provided if one wants to observe the copulatory behaviour of M. caliginosus in the laboratory. There was no apparent directional orientation in the approach of the two sexes, instead males pursued females after "accidentally" contacting them. Males mounted females from above, very rapidly, and without any obvious courtship behaviour, and copulation duration was very consistent (286.33 ± 4.23 s, mean ± SE). Observations over a 24-h period showed that mating was most frequent in the 8-h scotophase and first half of the 16-h photophase than in the second half of the photophase. Mated females became strongly unreceptive to new male mounting attempts, shaking their abdomen and leaving the plant if harassed. To determine the duration of the post-mating refractory period mating receptivity of females that had mated 1 or 2 weeks earlier was compared with that of virgin females of similar age. Mated females remained unreceptive even 2 weeks after mating, whereas half of the virgin females of equivalent age mated. Mated females were more likely to abandon a plant than virgin females when harassed by a male. Most males remated a few minutes after mating for the first time. M. caliginosus is atypical among mirids in that females apparently mate only once.

Using the fluorescent differential display technique, a special band named Bm541 was identified by screening for differentially expressed genes in the resistant silkworm strain Qiufeng, the susceptible strain Huaba35, and the near isogenic line BC₆, which carries the resistant gene to Bombyx mori densonucleosis virus (BmDNV). After applying the 5'RACE technique with specially designed primers, a 1148 bp cDNA clone containing a 387 bp open reading frame (ORF) was obtained. This gene was registered in GenBank under the accession number AY860950. The deduced amino acid sequence showed a 73.1% identity to the protein kinase C inhibitor (PKCI) of Drosophila pseudoobscura. In the deduced sequence of BmPKCI, the histidine triad (HIT) motif, which is essential for PKCI function, and the α-helix region, which is conserved among the PKCI family, were present. The data from quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) suggest that the expression levels of bmpkci in BC₆ and Qiufeng both with BmDNV-Z are significantly higher than those in Huaba35, which indicate that BmPKCI plays a role in resistance to BmDNV-Z.

New palaeodictyopterid Namuroningxia elegans sp. n. (Namuroningxiidae fam. n.) and archaeorthopterid Sinopteron huangheense gen. n., sp. n. (uncertain family assignment) are described from the Tupo Formation (Upper Carboniferous, Namurian, northern China, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region). Both new taxa exhibit a unique structure of their wing venation pattern. The Namuroningxiidae fam. n. bears a mosaic of characters diagnostic of several "palaeopteran" families throughout Palaeodictyopteroida and Eupalaeoptera. This fact is highly interesting in reference to the Namurian age known for the occurrence of the first winged insects as well as the palaeogeographical position of the locality far from all sites in Laurussia. The preliminary study of entomofauna diversity exhibit frequent occurrence of archaeorthopterid wing fragments (e.g., Sinopteron huangheense) forming up to 40 percent of all insect specimens demonstrate high abundance of this group in the early Late Carboniferous ecosystems.

The present scanning electron microscopy study describes the development of Lecanicillium muscarium, strain DAOM 198499, on the surface of diverse hosts, including Sphaerotheca fuliginea, a fungal host, and Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Aphidius nigripes, insect hosts. The hosts were sprayed with a conidial suspension of L. muscarium (10⁷ conidia/ml). The specimens used in the SEM investigation were collected at particular periods after spraying and prepared for scanning using standard methods. Germination tubes developed twenty-four hours after applying L. muscarium conidia to each host. Hyphae were attached to the host by a thin mucilaginous matrix. Seventy-two hours after spraying, hyphae of S. fuliginea had collapsed and were encircled by the parasite, and primary sporulation of L. muscarium was observed. On the aphid host, colonization started with adherence of the conidia to the host cuticle, followed by conidial germination and growth of mycelium on the surface of the insect's integument. After 48 to 72 h, post colonization, the first sporulation was observed on the cuticle, particularly at articulations. The mode of parasitism of A. nigripes by this fungus was similar to that of the aphid. Development of L. muscarium was observed on both mummified aphids (containing the pupae of parasitoids) and adult parasitoids.

Insects experience important selection pressures from their parasitoids, which affect both their population dynamics and their evolutionary responses. The interaction between the egg parasitoid Oomyzus galerucivorus Graham (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and its chrysomelid host Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera: Galerucinae) was investigated with the particular aim determining whether the chrysomelid host can escape its parasitoid by ovipositing late in the year as early as September. Although the leaf beetle and its parasitoid emerge in April, G. tanaceti starts to oviposit after spending the summer in reproductive diapause. The objective was to determine, whether the small parasitic wasp can parasitise its host's eggs even at the end of its host's reproductive season in December, when temperatures are low. Beetle oviposition, parasitism rates and temperatures were measured on three comparable mesoxerophytic grassland sites over the coarse of a season. Beetle oviposition, but not parasitism, was significantly positively dependent on temperature. Rate of oviposition decreased over the oviposition period with decrease in temperature. In contrast, after a lag phase of 1-2 weeks at the beginning of the oviposition period in September beetle egg clutches were parasitised at a constant rate until the end of the season in December. Host eggs were parasitised even at mean daily temperatures of 0-6°C. Thus the tansy leaf beetle does not escape from egg parasitism by ovipositing late in the season in central Germany.

Wormlion larvae are found in substrates consisting of fine sand or powder, implying that they may be able to distinguish between different substrates according to particle size. To estimate the effects of particle size on wormlions, the pit-building decision of the larvae of the wormlion Vermileo vermileo was observed in four substrates consisting of different sand fractions. Wormlion larvae prefer the finest sand fraction with particle size <= 230 µm. When wormlions (Vermileo vermileo) and antlions (Euroleon nostras) are placed in the same container with two different substrates, interspecific predation does not occur. In two-substrate choice tests larvae of the two species show opposite preferences for two substrates offered. While wormlion larvae readily build pits in the finest sand fraction (<= 230 µm), antlion larvae prefer coarser sand (with particle size 230-540 µm). Wormlion preference for the finest sands and powders, and antlion preference for sands of medium particle size was confirmed by field observations. Sand particle size affects the spatial distribution of sand-dwelling insect larvae and thus may reduce conflicts between heterospecifics.

A modified method for clearing, staining and mounting plant-inhabiting mites is proposed. With this method, all mites can be cleared with a single agent and mounted in a single medium. The stain added to the mounting medium enhances the clarity of the fine structures of soft-bodied mites under phase contrast and more significantly under bright field microscopy.

In many insect species with a pupa covered by various "shells" (puparium, host remains, etc.) pupal-adult ecdysis and emergence to the open air represent two discrete steps. However, in Trichogramma, as well as in other insect parasitoids, these two processes have never been studied separately. We investigated the temporal pattern of pupal-adult ecdysis and of adult emergence from the host chorion in Trichogramma embryophagum Hartig (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in laboratory conditions (12L : 12D, 20°C). Adult ecdysis was arrhythmic, while adult emergence showed a strong rhythmicity. The time lag between ecdysis and emergence varied from one to almost two days, depending on the circadian time of the ecdysis. The proportion of ecdysed adults that stayed in the host chorion ranged up to 60% (just before the highest peak of emergence). The cumulative percentage of ecdysed adults gradually increased with time, independently of whether the light was turned on in accordance with the entrained circadian rhythm or 4 h earlier. This arrhythmic ecdysis could be explained by the fact that the ecdysed adults get into a well protected space inside the host chorion and the timing of this event is adaptively neutral.

In the highly sexual-dimorphic nocturnal moth, Acentria ephemerella Denis & Schiffermüller 1775, the aquatic and wingless female possesses a refracting superposition eye, whose gross structural organization agrees with that of the fully-winged male. The possession of an extensive corneal nipple array, a wide clear-zone in combination with a voluminous rhabdom and a reflecting tracheal sheath are proof that the eyes of both sexes are adapted to function in a dimly lit environment. However, the ommatidium of the male eye has statistically significantly longer dioptric structures (i.e., crystalline cones) and light-perceiving elements (i.e., rhabdoms), as well as a much wider clear-zone than the female. Photomechanical changes upon light/dark adaptation in both male and female eyes result in screening pigment translocations that reduce or dilate ommatidial apertures, but because of the larger number of smaller facets of the male eye in combination with the structural differences of dioptric apparatus and retina (see above) the male eye would enjoy superior absolute visual sensitivity under dim conditions and a greater resolving power and ability to detect movement during the day. The arrangement of the microvilli in the rhabdom of both genders suggests that their eyes are polarization-sensitive, an ability they would share with many aquatic insects that have to recognize water surfaces. Although sexual recognition in A. ephemerella is thought to chiefly rely on pheromones, vision must still be important for both sexes, even if the females are wingless and never leave their watery habitat. Females swim actively under water and like their male counterparts, which fly above the surface of the water, they would have to see and avoid obstacles as well as potential predators. This, together with a small incidence of winged females, we believe, could be the reason why the eyes of female A. ephemerella are less regressed than those of other sexually dimorphic moths, like for instance Orgyia antiqua. Another, but difficult to test, possibility is that male and female A. ephemerella have diverged in their behaviour and habitat preferences less long ago than other sexually dimorphic moths.

An Erratum has been published for this article: https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2008.065

While most theoretical models for the evolution of ageing assume that duration of pre-adult development does not affect the longevity, experimental data are still controversial and inconsistent. Here we examined the short-term and long-term pattern of pre-adult development time and longevity in populations of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) originating from either oak forest (Quercus petrea), a suitable, or locust-tree forest (Robinia psedoacacia), a poor habitat. Using a full-sib design, we examined the genetic correlations between traits found in larvae reared on oak or locust-tree leaves. We detected only negative and insignificant genetic correlations, except for males from the Robinia population reared on oak leaves where the correlation was negative and significant. Our results also showed that a population living 40 generations in the locust-tree forest exhibited a significantly higher longevity than the Quercus population, whereas a significant difference between these two populations in pre-adult development time does not exist. The results are discussed in relation to the potential effect of stress selection in moulding the longevity of the gypsy moth.

Male production was examined in 70 Myzus persicae s.str and M. persicae nicotianae clonal lineages at 17°C and 10L : 14D. Sixty nine were characterised by a partial loss of sexuality (androcyclic producing few males, and intermediates producing some males and mating females), and one was found to be permanently parthenogenetic. High within and between lineage variation was detected. Most (81%) of the clonal lineages produced few males (0-5 males per parent) and only 6% had male production (10-16 males per parent) comparable to that (12-23 males per parent) of seven lineages with a sexual phase (holocyclic) which were examined under the same conditions. The length of prenatal exposure to 10L : 14D increased the production of males. Continuous rearing under 10L : 14D at 12°C adversely affected male production in another intermediate clonal lineage. Temperature was found to affect the production of sexuals and to modify the short day photoperiodic response. The production of males and mating females was higher at 12°C than at 17°C in most of the 20 aforementioned clonal lineages with a partial loss of sexuality. Six lineages were permanently parthenogenetic at 17°C, but two of them produced a few males and the other four a few males and mating females at 12°C. Seven lineages which produced a few males at 17°C, also produced some mating females at 12°C. Lastly, photoperiod similarly affected the production of sexuals in two of the aforementioned clonal lineages, one with a sexual phase and one intermediate, although the regimes for the peak of sexuals were different. In both lineages, however, males appeared in a 0.5-1 h shorter scotophase than mating females.

The New World species of Loxocera Meigen are revised including two new species, L. (Imantimyia) ignyodactyla Buck sp. n. from Costa Rica (first record of the genus from the Neotropical region) and L. (Imantimyia) ojibwayensis Buck sp. n. from Ontario, Canada. Loxocera californica Capelle is synonymized with L. collaris Loew and lectotypes are designated for L. pleuritica Loew and L. cylindrica var. obsoleta Johnson (both synonyms of L. cylindrica Say). The New World species are diagnosed and a key to species is provided. The male and female terminalia of Loxocera are described in detail for the first time, and their functional morphology is discussed. Eggs of most species are described and a key to the known eggs of Loxocera is provided. A phylogenetic framework for the Holarctic subgenera and species groups of Loxocera is developed based on morphological characters of the adult flies. The Old World subgenus Platystyla Macquart is synonymized with Loxocera s. str., and Imantimyia Frey is reinstated as a valid subgenus including all Holarctic species previously placed in Loxocera s. str. except the L. aristata species group. This leads to the following new subgeneric combinations: L. (L.) malaisei Frey comb. n., L. (L.) matsumurai Iwasa comb. n., L. (L.) monstrata Iwasa, comb. n., and L. (L.) omei Shatalkin comb. n. The species groups of Imantimyia are redefined, i.e. the L. achaeta-group (7 spp.), the L. fulviventris-group (4 spp.), and the L. albiseta-group (1 sp.). The Oriental subgenus Asiopsila Shatalkin is referred to Psila Meigen s. l. as a subgenus based on characters of the egg, resulting in fourteen new generic combinations: Psila (Asiopsila) brevibuccata (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) burmanica (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) decorata (de Meijere) comb. n., P. (A.) derivata (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) formosana (Hennig) comb. n., P. (A.) freidbergi (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) humeralis (de Meijere) comb. n., P. (A.) kambaitensis (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) limpida (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) maculipennis (Hendel) comb. n., P. (A.) michelseni (Shatalkin) comb. n., P. (A.) pleuralis (Frey) comb. n., P. (A.) primigena (Shatalkin) comb. n., and P. (A.) vittipleura (Shatalkin) comb. n.

In many species sperm competition selects for large ejaculates while females eliminate or disable a high percentage of the spermatozoa in their storage organs in order to control paternity. Therefore, sperm viability is an excellent measure of the reproductive success of both males and females. Here we assess the viability of spermatozoa in males, freshly mated queens and old queens at the end of a colony cycle of the monandrous bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We found that the accessory testes of males contained a significantly lower percentage of dead sperm (i.e. higher average viability) than the spermathecae of both freshly mated and old queens. In each case, however, the percentage of dead spermatozoa was very small. No differences could be detected between sperm viability in freshly mated and old queens. To test for the possible incompatibility of the sperm and the environment provided by female spermathecae males and females either from different geographic regions (north and south of the Alps) or the same region were mated. We did not find any differences between matings of individuals from within or between regions. The mechanism that causes the lower sperm viability in females remains unknown.

Under continuous light (LL) of low intensity (up to 2.0 lux), the free-running period of the blow fly activity rhythm lengthened for flies whose initial τ_DD was less than about 25 h, but shortened for longer-period flies. Light intensity above about 2.0 lux led to an overt behavioural arrhythmicity. A comparison of phases of the oscillation after LL as a function of phases before LL, however, indicated that the oscillation continued its motion even though overt behaviour was arrhythmic. As the intensity during LL increased to 48 lux, phases after LL became centred on a narrow range close to CT 12. Extended periods of brighter light are considered to have two effects: (a) an exogenous "masking" effect occurring at intensities greater than about 2.0 lux, and (b) at intensities between about 2.0 and 48 lux, a gradual resetting of the covert oscillator to CT 12. Between 2.0 and 48 lux, therefore, the circadian oscillation governing locomotor activity in C. vicina continues its motion despite the superficial arrhythmicity in behaviour.

The degree of polyandry in a species is linked to other life history traits such as egg maturation, life span, and male ejaculate size and quality. The study of differences in mating strategies between closely related species can provide a better understanding of the evolution of these strategies and of sperm competition. Mating patterns of two closely related species of small ermine moths (Yponomeuta) were investigated in the laboratory. The average female age at first mating was higher in Y. cagnagellus than in Y. padellus. Both species mated more than once; however, Y. cagnagellus females were more likely to remate in a short time frame. Moreover, Y. cagnagellus had higher life time female mating frequencies than Y. padellus (viz., 3.0 versus 2.0). These differences in mating frequency were confirmed in the field by examining the presence of spermatophores (or their remains) in the bursa as well as sperm in the spermatheca of field-caught females.

In many insects, mate finding is mediated by volatile sex pheromones, but evidence in nabids is still fragmentary. The role of odour-mediated sexual attraction in two nabid species, Nabis pseudoferus and N. rugosus, was studied in a Y-tube olfactometer. Females of the two species were significantly attracted by odours of conspecifics males, and males of N. rugosus, but not of N. pseudoferus, were attracted by odours of conspecific females. Odours of conspecifics of the same gender were unattractive. These results suggest the existence of male pheromones in both species and a different female pheromone in N. rugosus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different diets on the development and reproduction of Lygus rugulipennis Poppius (Heteroptera: Miridae). Using 2 laboratory generations (F1 and F2) obtained from field-collected L. rugulipennis, the following diets were tested: beans, beans plus Tenebrio molitor (L.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) pupae, and a commercial artificial diet, which was developed for mass rearing of Lygus hesperus Knight. As oviposition substrates, beans and agar/parafilm rolls were used. Our data show that both the artificial diet and the artificial oviposition substrate were ineffective substitutes for beans for both laboratory generations. Stage-dependent and total survival rates clearly indicated that F1 Lygus bugs survive significantly longer when they are reared on vegetable substrates i.e., beans and beans plus pupae. The differential effects of the diets were more pronounced in the F2 generation, in which the embryonic development was longer for eggs from females reared on the artificial diet than on beans, and in which the second instar nymphs did not survive on the artificial diet. Both the total duration of post-embryonic development and the longevity of F1 males were shorter on the artificial diet than on beans. Female fecundity was affected by diet in terms of total duration of the oviposition period and mean number of eggs laid/female, since these parameters were lower on the artificial substrate, compared with those obtained on the bean substrate. However, the diet did not affect the morphological parameters, as there were no significant variations in weight, width of cephalic capsule, and tibia and hemelytra length. Since L. rugulipennis cannot be reared on the commercially available artificial diet, we discuss the necessity to improve both the artificial diet and oviposition substrate so that this Lygus bug and its specific egg parasitod Anaphes fuscipennis Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) can be mass reared.

The cerambycid borers Callidiellum rufipenne (Motschulsky) and Semanotus bifasciatus (Motschulsky) infest coniferous logs in Japan, with the latter distributed in the north and at high altitudes, where both species occur sympatrically. Semanotus bifasciatus adults were active at low temperatures and very active after sunset, and less active but never inactive in the daytime, whereas C. rufipenne adults were usually active at high temperatures and almost only in the daytime. At an almost constant temperature, C. rufipenne adults were almost inactive at night, whereas S. bifasciatus adults showed only an obscure decline in activity in the morning. Of a horizontal log, the upper surface tended to be drier and lower surface wetter, and C. rufipenne larvae grew large if they were in the upper part of a log, whereas S. bifasciatus larvae grew large if in the lower part. Thus, the coexistence of these two species can be ascribed to two major segregation factors: adult segregation based on temperature and sunshine, and larval segregation associated with the moisture content of the wood.

The species Beludzhia phylloteliptera Rohdendorf is redescribed from adult males and females as well as all larval instars collected in the United Arab Emirates. The morphology of the first instar larva is strikingly similar to that of Dolichotachina marginella (Wiedemann) and Phylloteles pictipennis Loew, all of which are here documented for the first time. These three generic representatives share several character states, which are probably plesiomorphic relative to the condition observed in other miltogrammine larvae, but the uniquely shaped, slender mouthhook, a cushion- or pad-like lobe behind the maxillary palpus (cheek organ), the antero-ventral segmental prolegs of the first instar larva, and the integumental warts of the third instar larvae, are shared character states not known from any other species of Sarcophagidae. Beludzhia Rohdendorf is therefore placed with Dolichotachina Villeneuve and Phylloteles Loew in the tribe Phyllotelini.

Elektrophthiria magnifica gen. n., sp. n., oldest bee fly of the bombyliid subfamily Phthiriinae, is described from the Lowermost Eocene amber of Oise (France). It suggests at least a Late Cretaceous age for this group, coincident with the diversification of the flowering plants. Eurodoliopteryx inexpectatus gen. n., sp. n., oldest representative of the mythicomyiid subfamily Glabellulinae, is probably the sister genus of extant Doliopteryx, distributed in Africa and the Arabian peninsula, under very arid conditions. This discovery suggests a relatively humid forest close to a river with a drier surrounding area for the palaeoenvironment of the Oise amber.

Species of the Agrilus viridis-complex and the genus Trachys are morphologically difficult to identify or even indistinguishable. However, all of them are ecologically clearly separated because their larvae develop in different host plants. Hitherto, it was unclear whether they represent varieties, ecological races or true species. In this paper the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships within these groups are analysed using partial sequence data from mitochondrial genes (12S rDNA, and a fragment containing regions of ND1 and 16S rDNA). The phylogenetic analyses yielded largely congruent tree topologies and indicate that all species and varieties of the Agrilus viridis-complex belong to a monophyletic group, which is closely related to A. cuprescens. Compared to all other Agrilus-species tested, the genetic distances within the A. viridis-complex are very small. However, all varieties and species are clearly separated. Thus, our data support the view that both the members of the Agrilus viridis-complex and the species of the Trachys-group represent genetically separated taxa.

A sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene in Russian and Turkish maize-associated populations of Ostrinia nubilalis and a Slovenian population of O. nubilalis probably infesting maize revealed little diversity. This lack of diversity may have resulted from bottleneck event(s) when the maize-associated population of O. nubilalis expanded from small population(s) in association with the cultivation of maize in Europe ca. 500 years ago. In the genealogy of COII genes obtained in the present and previous studies, Eurasian samples were substantially differentiated from North American samples. Since the North American population of O. nubilalis came from Europe, our finding suggests that there is geographical differentiation in European maize-associated O. nubilalis, and that maize-associated populations of O. nubilalis expanded multiple times in Europe. Finally, a phylogenetic analysis of the COII gene did not support that O. nubilalis and O. furnacalis are the closest relatives within the O. furnacalis species group.

The hypothesis that small species of aphidophagous coccinellids need lower aphid population densities for reproduction than large species (Dixon, 2007) was tested in the field. In 2006 we compared seasonal changes in the oviposition behaviour of two coccinellid species regularly found in cereal stands in central Europe, the large Coccinella septempunctata L. and the small Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.). Adults of both species were collected at 2-3 day intervals from stands of winter wheat and spring barley, females were allowed to deposit eggs for 24 h following collection and the percentage that laid eggs and the number of eggs were recorded. Both species colonized the cereal crop simultaneously in the middle of May. After colonization of the crop, while the aphid density was still low, few females of C. septempunctata oviposited and laid only a few eggs. Oviposition increased up to a maximum c. 1 month later and was closely associated with prey abundance. Of the females of P. quatuordecimpunctata, whose mass is about one quarter of that of the former species, the percentage ovipositing and number of eggs laid varied less in time and was less associated with prey abundance than in C. septempunctata. As predicted by theory, the small P. quatuordecimpunctata was more effective at exploiting the lower prey densities as it produced proportionally more of its eggs during the early stages of the aphid infestation than the larger C. septempunctata.